The German Council for Sustainable Development (RNE) is an advisory body with a mandate from the federal government. Made up of 15 public figures in post for three years, the Council was reappointed by Federal Chancellor Friedrich Merz on 28 January 2026. It is headed by Gerald H. Haug (Chair) and Reiner Hoffmann (Deputy Chair).
Prof. Dr Gerald H. Haug, Chair of the RNE
Director of the Max Planck Institute for Chemistry; Full Professor at ETH Zurich
Reiner Hoffmann, Deputy Chair
Former President of the German Trade Union Confederation; Deputy Chair of the Friedrich Ebert Foundation (FES)
Prof. Dr Stefan Bayer, member
Head of Research at GIDS (German Institute for Defence and Strategic Studies)
Countess Bettina Bernadotte af Wisborg, member
President of the Council for the Lindau Nobel Laureate Meetings; Chair of Mentor Germany
Carolin Boßmeyer, member
Head of Liaison Office Berlin at Heidelberg Materials AG
Prof. Dr Fatma Deniz, member
Vice President for Digitalisation and Sustainability at TU Berlin; President of TU Berlin as of April 2026
Tanja Gönner, member
Managing Director of the Federation of German Industries (BDI)
Thomas Kufen, member
Lord Mayor of Essen
Prof. Dr Mark G. Lawrence, member
Scientific Director Research Institute for Sustainability – Helmholtz Centre Potsdam (RIFS)
Dr Katrin Leonhardt, member
Chair of the Board of Sächsische Aufbaubank – Förderbank
Prof. Dr Kai Niebert, member
President of the German League for Nature and Environment (DNR)
Hubertus Paetow, member
President of the German Agricultural Society (DLG e.V.)
Dr Myriam Rapior, member
Vice President of the German Federation for the Environment and Nature Conservation (BUND)
Dr Werner Schnappauf, member
Lawyer and consultant; Former Minister of State
Achim Steiner, member
Senior Fellow of the Oxford Martin School, University of Oxford; Chair of the Hamburg Sustainability Conference